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Anyone interested in a Weight Watcher''s thread?

Fibre for breakfast is a must, it really will fill you up! I find it better than eggs actually. Post Shredded wheat with bran actually tastes really good. All cereals are not created equal, and I find over processed ones are crap for firbe and keeping you full. So we only eat slow cook oatmeal or shredded wheat. Both take some getting used to taste wise, but if you add apple sauce and some yogurt then it tastes really good, and you get used to the low fat low sugar taste quickly!

OH and one thing you might not have known, salmon is actually a lot of points because of its fat content. Like 6 points in a serving! Sole and Halibut and other white fish are fewer points, like 3 I think, because they are lower fat. The thing about WW and other low cal diets is you not only limit your calories but you limit your fat intake -- no more than like 20 grams per day! So if you keep a food diary, which is a good idea, take a peak at the fat count for the day. Fibre too -- you want at least 25g per day!
 
Yeah I really need to work on eating more fiber! That''s good to know about fish - I actually love tilapia, halibut, cod (okay, I love most fish!) and especially like that tilapia is very cheap. We had salmon in the freezer though, and we''re trying to eat all the meat in there before we move. We still have some ribs and steaks, so it might be a little tricky. But I think I''ll try to make steak salad or something.
 
I love salmon. I would think it''s worth the points because it is really so good for you. I put a little bit of dijon mustard mixed with some brown sugar on mine and slow roast it at 250 degrees until done (about 20-25 mins) and it is SO good. I would gladly reduce points during the day when I make that, yum!
 
So I had my first eating out experience since tracking points. We went to panera bread and I was able to look up points before we went. I was pretty shocked to see my usual choice was more points than I''m allowed in a whole day! I was able to get a soup and sandwich combo for 10 points and it was super yummy and filling. Yea for better choices!
 
Date: 6/30/2010 2:17:01 PM
Author: FL Steph
So I had my first eating out experience since tracking points. We went to panera bread and I was able to look up points before we went. I was pretty shocked to see my usual choice was more points than I''m allowed in a whole day! I was able to get a soup and sandwich combo for 10 points and it was super yummy and filling. Yea for better choices!
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Oooh, what did you get? I love Panera! Yum!
 
Date: 6/30/2010 5:39:52 PM
Author: merilenda
Date: 6/30/2010 2:17:01 PM

Author: FL Steph

So I had my first eating out experience since tracking points. We went to panera bread and I was able to look up points before we went. I was pretty shocked to see my usual choice was more points than I''m allowed in a whole day! I was able to get a soup and sandwich combo for 10 points and it was super yummy and filling. Yea for better choices!
Click to expand...


Oooh, what did you get? I love Panera! Yum!
Click to expand...
Me too! I got half a panini (sp?) with tomato and mozzerella with a cup of french onion soup minus the croutons and cheese. Yum!
 
I did better with breakfast today. Two slices of whole wheat toast, a smidge of peanut butter, and a peach for 4 points. It was also surprisingly filling.

I also want to share the recipe I made for dinner tonight. I actually made it last week, and FI has been talking about it ever since. He insisted that we make it again tonight! It''s only 5 points per serving - and the recipe makes 4 heaping servings! It''s a lot of chopping veggies, but other than that, super simple to put together.

Crab, Corn, and Tomato Salad with Lemon-Basil Dressing

5 T lemon juice, divided
1 T EVOO
1 t honey
1/2 t Dijon mustard
1/4 t salt
1/8 t ground black pepper
1 C fresh corn kernels (2 ears)
1/4 C basil leaves
1/4 C chopped red bell pepper
2 T finely chopped red onion
1 pound lump crab meat, shell pieces removed
8 slices beefsteak tomato
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1. Combine 3 T lemon juice and next 5 ingredients (through pepper) in large bowl, stirring well. Reserve 1 1/2 T juice mixture. Add remaining 2 T lemon juice, corn, and next 4 ingredients (through crab). Toss gently to coat.

2. Arrange 2 tomato slices and 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes on each plate. Drizzle 1 t of reserved juice over each serving. Top each serving with corn and crab mixture.

Nutritional Information:
242 calories
5.6g fat
30g protein
17.7g carbs
3.6g fiber

We substitute imitation crab meat for convenience. I think it''s a great summer recipe. FI ate both of his servings for dinner, but I''m planning to save mine for lunch tomorrow. I still have 5 more points to eat tonight!
 
Merilenda, I wanted to share some breakfast ideas.

Apple Cranberry Bran Muffin from Trader Joe''s. (1/2 Muffin = 8g fiber, 2 pt)

Yogurt (Fat Free plain, vanilla or Fage) and I add fruit, usually berries of some sort. I have used frozen mixed fruit, also.

Thomas'' Multi-grain English Muffin (8g fiber, 1 pt) with canadian bacon (3 slices = 1 pt), Egg Beaters (1 pt).
I also sometimes use 1-2 boiled eggs (no yolk - 0 pt)

FlatOut flatbread (6g fiber, 2 pts) with 3 boiled eggs (no yolk - 1pt). I''ll add a very small amount of fatfree sour cream to add a little moisture.

Thomas'' Bagel Thins (5g of fiber, 1 pt)

Below is a recipe for Oatmeal Pancakes, using WW Instant Oatmeal in a cup. (I would assume other instant oatmeal would work as well!)
1 Container of WW Blueberry or Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal
2 egg whites
1 tsp baking powder

Add the egg whites and baking powder to the oatmeal container. Mix well. Spray nonstick skillet with PAM over med-high heat. Cook 2 pancakes
(turn when bubbles appear). 2 pancakes = 2 pts
 
Oooh, that pancake idea sounds really good...I love oatmeal and I love pancakes, so should be yummy!

Has anyone else noticed that food tastes SO good now? I mean, when you are very limited in quantity, you really savor every single morsel, or at least I do. I saved up a lot of points today so we could have pizza tonight. I didn''t do too bad....2 medium slices were 10 points and I added in a salad, yum!

I have been tracking points for 4 days now and have already lost 6 pounds! I know I probably shouldn''t weigh everyday, but like TGal the progress motivates me to stick with it. This is my first weekend tracking and should be interesting b/c we usually go out to eat once or twice and cook big meals with my husband home. Good thing I haven''t used many flex points.

How''s everyone else doing?
 
Well I stuck to my points this week even on holiday, saved the flex points and used them on the long weekend, but only lost half a pound. Seems like a paltry amount, and I am convinced that saving the flex points is not a good idea. This week I will either be using the points each day to a max of 5, or I will not use then at all!

It is that time of the month, and we ate more salty foods this weekend than normal, so hopefully some is water weight.

My mom does not know we are doing WW and commented that my jeans look "baggy" though, and she would notice :rolleyes: , so some good must be going on.

So my loss this week is .5lb for a stunning total loss of 2lbs.

How about my other partners in crime?
 
And I reweighed myself and my loss is actually 1.5lbs this week!

So a total loss of 3lbs!
 
Good job DD! Half a pound is actually great weight loss, but 1.5 is better. Just keep in mind 1-2 pounds is what is considered healthy, so don't be discouraged if it's not 2 lbs every week. It all adds up.

Speaking of half a pound, that's my loss for the week!
 
Good job TGal!

I am glad I lost, whether it is half or one and a half... the actual loss will be clearer next week as time goes by. I guess in these early weeks I am hoping for closer to 2lbs because I know from my past experience that the beginning is always the easiest 8)

Is TGuy doing WW with you too, if he needs it? Or are you flying solo?
 
Hi ladies :wavey:

My vacation is officially over which means that my vacation is officially over :sick: lol

I didn't gain which is awesome but I also didn't lose. I have lost 3lbs so far since starting WW.

Yesterday was the beginning of my exercise challenge. They're assigning 1pt per 15 mins of working out and you can only get in a max of 6pts per day. Since we did not work yesterday, I walked with S for an hour around the park which she loved and later on in the night I walked for 30 mins. Today I walked a path around my job which took me 45mins (it's about 1 mile) and did 15mins on the spin bike by myself. So I just need 2 more points for the day.

I actually feel great from working out so early. My body needed it.

I need to work on being more disciplined with calculating points. I'm definitely watching what I eat more closely now but still don't know if I'm over/under my points.

Does anyone have a problem trying to figure out what to eat? It seems that every time I watch what I eat, I never know what to eat :confused:
 
dreamer_dachsie said:
Good job TGal!

I am glad I lost, whether it is half or one and a half... the actual loss will be clearer next week as time goes by. I guess in these early weeks I am hoping for closer to 2lbs because I know from my past experience that the beginning is always the easiest 8)

Is TGuy doing WW with you too, if he needs it? Or are you flying solo?
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DD, I'm on it alone...TGuy is losing weight by doing yardwork. ::)
 
Fiery Are you not using the online tool to keep track of your points? I personally found that without doing that it was impossible to *actually* keep within my desired daily calories. As to what to eat, my issue was not so much junk as portions... with the exception of pizza and candy, which I ration like mad now. So my diet has not changed too much. I have cereal for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, yogurt for a snack, or breton crackers and skim milk motzarella cheese or a half peanut butter sandwich, and dinner is something like a veggie burger with cheese and veggies, or a burrito. DH eats meat sandwiches for lunch and will have a tyrkey burger, or I will make stir fry, or we will have soup and salad. Basically we stopped eating out because it is too hard to keep trakc of points. Sushi is the one thing we have regularly because the points are low if you make the right choice.

I find I basically graze often eating small amounts. It is amazing hoe much less food you can eat once you get used to it!
 
What happened to all the WW peeps?

Well, did my weigh in today and I am down one more lb!

Yippee!

How about you all?
 
Congrats Dreamer!

2 lbs this week. Most I've ever lost in one week. Lost in the waist too, so I know it's not just water. Pretty cool, especially since I was traveling for work last week. But I was able to make some smart choices on the run.

So 11 lbs in 9 weeks (although I think my starting weight was inflated by about 3 lbs). About a month and a half in, it just seemed SO slow going. I had lost about 5-6 pounds by that time and it seemed like I had been at it forever. I knew mentally that 5 lbs is a fair bit, but it wasn't exactly overly inspiring. A pound a week doesn't seem like much until the weeks keep going by. Now it seems like it hasn't been that long and the difference is starting to be real. True to my goals, I did buy a new pair of jeans in one size down (and got it for $10 from $70, so it doesn't seem like a waste of money).

Anyway, just chugging along. My goal is to getting to my wedding weight by the new year.
 
Great job TGal! What did you do differently this week, if anything?

DH and I are feeling frustrated at how slow it is going. I am averaging 1lb a week, a little more for DH, and I just feel like last time I lost weight I lost is faster... but I did not keep weekly track so I do not know for sure. Of course, at that time I was 24, had no child or job, and was doing cross-training/weight training 3x per week in addition to cardio, and riding my bike everywhere. I think that made a difference but it is just not possible in our life right now. I want a bike so badly but we just cannot afford it right now. I am trying to stay positive with the changes we have made -- running 4km every second day is a big thing for us, and I *definitely* have gotten better at that! It is almost... almost... becoming fun. And my clothing all fits looser and more comfortably. So small steps.

You are right, once you hit 10lbs down then it feels more real and you think about how far you have come.

I just keep wondering if there is something I should do differenly? Each week I use all my points, including flex, but do not dip into activity points. Should I perhaps not use all my flex points on days I do not excercise? Should we excercise more? Hmmmm...
 
Um, this last week I thought I ate more? :confused:

Dreamer, IMHO, I think that unless you are really watching what you eat and exercising like a crazy person, 1lb a week weight loss for a woman is very very good. Everyone always says 1-2 lbs a week, so I think we all want to be losing 2 pounds instead of 1. But they include MEN for that healthy goal, so my guess is that we women have a harder time with it. Think about it...if I work out pretty hard 3 times a week for one hour, that's about 1500 calories burned. That's less than a half pound burned through working out...the rest has to come through food. It is tough to burn 2 pounds in a week. In fact, I think that I DIDN'T burn 2 pounds this week. It think my .4 lb loss from the week before was an underestimate, and that it was probably almost a pound (I had been seeing better numbers all week leading up the weigh in). That's why I weigh in every day and take note of the "range."

I was where you and your DH were just 3 or 4 weeks ago. It IS frustrating. Especially since I'm the type of person who could gain 2 lbs just watching food commercials...so in my mind, what's a 2 lb loss? My PS weight loss buddy told me to go weigh out 5 lbs of food on a scale. I look at a 5 lb weight and think it's small (because it's dense, duh), but if you weigh out 5 lbs of food, you'll find it's a lot! In my case, it was 3 very large cans of tomatoes!! This exercise was really helpful, and that's why accountability and a buddy are key for me. I won't disclose my weightloss buddy (for her privacy) but she's been instrumental in making this all really really fun for me.

The mentality has to be that it's a lifestyle change. Not a diet. Not a goal you have to reach. Just eating well and exercising and see where it takes you. Yes, I know I said I DO have a goal (wedding weight by January) but overall, I'm just understanding that I'll always have to track to some extent and eat well or I'll be climbing right back up that scale. It's harder because I KNOW my body is holding on the weight more than it ever has. When I was 30, I came back from a 4 month stint in Europe and the weight kept falling off. I couldn't keep it on (I wasn't even trying to lose weight!) I was eating less and walking a lot, true, but my metabolism was through the roof after living in Europe for 4 months. Now it's a fight, and it's only 7 years later.

I'm finding what works for me is sticking to the daily points on most days and then splurging a couple of times a week (within reason, but I don't think about the points too hard on those days). Somebody mentioned the every other day diet on here. I would hate to "diet" like that, but there may be some valid science behind it? Basically the body thinks you're not going to starve it because you do give it plenty on certain days. It's not an ongoing, steady, stream of low calories.

With exercise, the same applies (and I believe the fitness experts say this is a good thing). I mix it up. If you run at a constant pace, your body becomes used to it and more efficient. It's better to have your heart rate climb and go back down...interval training. So maybe a day or two a week, you do a fun run/walk. Walk 10 min, jog 10 min, power walk 10 min, sprint 5, etc. With my workouts I mix it up. I do elliptical for constant endurance, then have exercise videos with interval training. When I run, I do the type of workout I mention above.

I rarely dip into activity points...I find I don't need to. My weekly rationing of points goes something like this:

Monday weigh in - so Monday - Wed, stay within daily range.

Thursday date night. Go, have fun, enjoy the hubby and eat (of course, within limits. I'll usually have a 30-35 point day on Thursday. Only dinner blows the bank - brekky and lunch stay within range.

Weekend - one day to blow it. Usually Saturdays.

Remaining flex points go to a glass of wine here or there over the weekend, on non food splurge days.

I like to eat well/healthy on Sundays, with low sodium to prepare for a good weigh in on Monday.

All this, and I'm pretty much at 1 lb a week, so it's not like I'm losing weight at max capacity. I'm resigned to it now, and I'm happier for it.

Stay with me Dreamer! :appl:
 
Oh, and dreamer, when you are running the 4km, how long does it take? And is that the only exercise you do? Because if so, 4km should take under a half hour, correct? If I have any advice on exercise, it's to do it for at LEAST 45 minutes. I've read time and time again that the body ramps up fat burning after the first 30 minutes. I have no idea why that is, but my workouts are always at least 45 minutes (the videos run that long) to one hour (elliptical) to 1 hr, 15 minutes if I'm outside for a run/walk.

And get a heart rate monitor. It's addictive.
 
I get discouraged at how slowly it goes, too. I have been at this for a little over 3 months and have lost almost 20 pounds. I really wish it was faster, but I guess I can't change that. I try to remember I didn't gain the weight in a short time, but rather over a long time period. Losing the weight is the same.

As for points, I don't usually use many of the flex points. I try to stay on my exact number of points, but add 3 points about every other day. (My leader suggested I vary my points from day to day.) I actually gained this week (for the first time since I started - boo) which is odd - I didn't cheat or go over my points. Rather, there were 2 days I didn't get all my minimum points in. That was eye-opening for me - I think some people just need to consume more points to lose weight. I am bad, as I hoard my points and then at the end of the day I am left with a surplus. It seems counter intuitive to eat when I'm not hungry just to try to hit my points. I need to loosen the noose on my points and eat more throughout the day. I'm having a hard time breaking the hoarding mentality, though.....
 
20 pounds in 3 months is A LOT!!!! :o :appl:
 
Thanks - it just seems slow as each day passes. I was pretty unhappy with my gain last week - 1.2 lbs, especially as I was .2 from 20 pounds.... (My bday is at the end of the month and I wanted to lose 25 pounds by then - that would have been almost 4 months since I started.) But, I have to remember the big picture. I still have more I want to lose, so it will be a journey.
 
Aryana that is great!

When I lost 30 lbs in my early 20s it was that fast. I think it took me 4 months to lose all that weight. It just melted right off. Now not so much :((

TGal Great tips. And yes, it takes us about 30 min to run the 4 km, it is a hilly course so the fist half is very hard and then the second half not as hard. So there are actually intervals of a sort built in.

I am torn about the excercise thing. This is the longest DH and I have stuck with an excercise programme consistently -- it has now been about 2 months where we have been getting out there consistently to run every two days (longer if you count the time where we were not as consistent). And we actually enjoy it! It has taken us a long time to find an activity we can do together as a family and that we enjoy. The fact is, we will not do it if we can't do it together including Hunter (his naps and sleep times are our relaxing times and we don't really want to excercise then), and we won't do it if it is not fun. So though on the one hand I know we need to do more and for longer duration, on the other hand we are trying to be realistic about what we are capable of and find an active hobby that we can do long term. Our goal is to increase the frequency so that M-F we run 5km per day then we get weekends off. This is what our close friends do and they are slim jims. Actually, I don't know anyone who is a regular long term runner who is fat! haha... so that is our thought. Like you say, it is a lifestyle thing for us. We want to model the best lifestyle for Hunter as he gets older.

But I like the idea of trying to do longer intervals 1-2 days. Maybe we will try that this weekend, find a course we can run that is interesting, and do some intervals... I would also really like to do runs through the parks and forests but I am not sure if there are any that I can take the BOB on. I will have to look into it.
 
Dreamer, the best exercise is the one you do, so by all means, do what you're doing because it sounds like you are enjoying it! You don't *have* to exercise more than 30 minutes...I think that's great, and it's still burning calories just fine. Plus, as you said, there are intervals built in.

What do you do for music? I just bought a couple of battery powered portable speakers and am going to see how they work plugged into my blackberry for runs. I can't hear my blackberry speakers when there are cars around.
 
TravelingGal said:
Dreamer, the best exercise is the one you do, so by all means, do what you're doing because it sounds like you are enjoying it! You don't *have* to exercise more than 30 minutes...I think that's great, and it's still burning calories just fine. Plus, as you said, there are intervals built in.

What do you do for music? I just bought a couple of battery powered portable speakers and am going to see how they work plugged into my blackberry for runs. I can't hear my blackberry speakers when there are cars around.
Click to expand...

Since we run together we generally chat on the runs (when we can chat), so no music for us! Honestly, we are working so hard just to run that I would probably find music distracting... and DH would not like it if I ignored him :Up_to_something:
 
Dreamer have you tried measuring yourself, in addition to weighing? I ask because you might be losing inches rather than pounds. Since muscle weighs more than body fat, the initial impact might not show on the scale but will show in measurements.
 
Hey guys, sounds like everyone is doing well. I actually gained 2lbs this week. The first week I lost 7 pounds, which I'm sure most was water weight, so maybe this is the more realistic number I'm not sure? Anyway, just been trucking along keeping track of points. Most days I go over about 2-3 points and dip into the flex points and then splurge for 1 meal. I took measurements and the only place I lost was in my chest (of course) but I am down a whole inch there. I usually lose there first, so hopefully it will start coming off in my waist and hips soon. I also try on a pair of jeans I can't quite fit into once a week and this week, they are close to buttoning, but it will still be 10lbs or so before I can realistically wear them out. My foot is still recovering from injury so I haven't been able to run or even walk very far, so I am trying to do little things around the house that don't involve my feet (crunches, pushups, arm weights). Great job everyone, keep it up!
 
Aryana I have not been keeping track, but I might start.
Steph Yeah, sounds like you had a large water weight loss last week! The pattern over the first month will probably be most accurate. Keep up the good work and you will be in those jeans in no time ::)
 
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